Author: Racquet Network

Racquet Network staff are certified experts. Many are also certified coaches. Racquet Network Experts undergo extensive training and product knowledge testing in order to ensure that we have the most knowledgeable staff in the racquet sports industry.
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Appointments

Request appointment

Our goal is to communicate with customers as much as possible by email in order to minimize the need for face-to-face conversations. If you choose to make an appointment, please allow a few days lead time so that we can communicate via email before your visit. This will reduce risk on both sides.

Request SAFE Shoe Fitting

If you are coming into our store to try on shoes, we need to make sure that no other customers have touched the shoes you will be trying on in the past 24 hours. This requires coordination, especially for the most common sizes. Requiring appointments is the only way to organize this. Please make appointments at least three days ahead of time.

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Covid 19 Information

Summary

  1. Our pandemic rules are strict. Our store is clean. Our environment is safe.
  2. No walk-ins – Please book an appointment before you come
  3. Customers must provide their contact tracing info through our appointment request form in order to enter the store.
  4. No browsing – We are a service counter only.
  5. Masks required for ALL ages. No exceptions. No exemptions.
  6. Minimize Risk – Order online – Pickup in-store

Details

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

We understand that these inconveniences can be frustrating. They are frustrating for us, too.

Like every small business, we had to make a decision about how we were going to operate during these difficult times.

We could throw open the doors, act like nothing is happening and risk the heath of staff and customers. Or we could set tough standards to keep people safe.

We chose the second option.

We have staff, customers and family members who will likely die if they are exposed to Covid-19.

Therefore, we have adopted a strict set of policies to protect everyone, including:

  1. Requiring masks indoors
  2. Limiting the number of customers in the store
  3. Reducing the handling of merchandise
  4. Referring browsers to our website
  5. Spacing out customer appointments
  6. Replacing face-to-face communications with email
  7. Encouraging online ordering
  8. Offering curbside pickups
  9. Maintaining contact tracing lists
  10. Cleaning service counters between customer visits

We trust that these things are enough to keep everyone safe and we apologize to anyone who considers them to be an inconvenience.

Browsing

We have re-configured our store to prevent browsing. We have moved to a service counter arrangement. Under this new configuration, customers who enter the store are greeted by a service counter. An expert serves them at the counter.

If necessary, customers are invited behind the counter for service. Otherwise, all transactions occur at the customer service counter.

Service Counter Store Interior

These changes to our layout make cleaning up between visits faster than ever. They also ensure that asymptomatic customers are not walking around the store touching items and potentially spreading the virus passively to other customers.

Phase 2 Rules and Policies

Rule 1 – Masks are required to enter the store. No exceptions.

Customers who don’t want to wear masks can shop on our website.

Rule 2 – Customers who are not being served, must wait outside until we invite them in.

Given the size of our store, it is just not possible to social distance properly.

Rule 3 – No Returns

Due to the possibility of transmission, we are not accepting returns while the pandemic is underway.

Walk-ins & Appointments

In order to keep customers spread out and allow cleaning of our service counters between visits, we are requiring customers to make appointments.

Request appointment
Request SAFE Shoe Fitting

Filling out the appointment request form cuts down on the amount of time needed for each transaction in-store and increases the speed of contact tracing should that ever be necessary.

Customers with appointments are guaranteed entry at their scheduled time. They will be alone in our store with our experts for their entire visit.

They do not have to worry about any other customers entering our store during their visit.

Walk-in customers (customers without appointments) will not be served.

Appointment Tips

Tip 1 – Make appointments two or more days ahead of time. Last minute appointments are unlikely.

Tip 2 – In order to minimize face-to-face interaction, talk to an expert by email prior to your visit. We may be able to help you make a purchase prior to coming into the store — which is safest for everybody involved.

Tip 3 – Do not call to make an appointment. Appointments are set up by email so that dates and times are in writing. We do not accept appointments by telephone.

Shoe Sales

Customers who know their shoe size and just want to look at models can shop online and choose SHIP TO STORE for local pickup. They can then try on that pair of shoes in-store prior to taking them home. If it turns out they don’t fit, the order can be canceled and refunded.

Customers who don’t know their size or who want to try on a variety of shoes in-store will have to book an appointment.

SAFE Shoe Fittings

Shoe fittings are particularly hard to do safely during a pandemic for a variety of reasons.

First, shoe fittings are impossible to do with proper social distancing.

Shoe fittings require our staff and customers to be in face-to-face contact with each other for an average of 30 to 60 minutes.

Second, cleaning up after shoe fittings takes more effort than you might imagine.

Once the fittings are over, for example, all shoes tried on by the customer have to be decontaminated inside and out. They must also be set aside for 24 hours — meaning nobody can try them on until the next day.

The area where the fitting occurs must also be decontaminated and the staff member who did the fitting must have time to wash up thoroughly.

In other words, we have to allow a full 60 minutes in order to ensure safe shoe fittings in this store.

We must also space appointments out to ensure that customers are not trying on shoes that have been touched by other customers in the past 24 hours.

SAFE Shoe Fitting Policies

In order to ensure that the proper amount of time is allowed for safe shoe fittings, we are no longer doing fittings for walk-in customers.

All shoe fittings now require an appointment to be made at least one day in advance.

To set up a safe shoe fitting, please request an appointment.

Request SAFE Shoe Fitting

Appointments should be made at least one full business day ahead of time so that we can go through the pre-screening process by email.

We also need advance notice to ensure that the staff member serving you has also been pre-screened and has not had any worrisome contacts or symptoms.

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Try Before You Buy | Tecnifibre Squash Racquets

Altra Running Shoe Demos

Racquet Network customers test drive more than 1000 badminton, tennis, squash and pickleball racquets every year.

Tecnifibre ™ squash racquets are amongst our most popular for in-store customers who want to try before they buy. As a result, we offer more Tecnifibre racquets demos than anybody else. We even have doubles of the most popular Tecnifibre racquets.

Our Try Before You Buy program allows customers to spend up to month test driving a variety of racquets.

For more information, please come into the store and talk to an expert at 310 2525 Woodview Dr SW. We are open 7 days a week.

Tecnifibre Squash Racquets

Many — but not all — of the Tecnifibre racquets that we sell are included in our Try Before You Buy program. Please visit us in-store for details.

Racquet Selector For a full list of racquets in this category, please check out our ONLINE RACQUET SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, weight, balance and more.
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Racquet Recycling in Calgary

Logo

So you just cleaned your garage out and found some old tennis, squash, badminton or racquetball racquets. They seem like they are still in good shape — in fact, they are practically new.

So what to do with them?

You could give them away … if you knew somebody who wanted them.

You could sell them … but that’s a lot of work for the $5.00 price you might get on Kijiji.

Or you could recycle them … or can you?

Can old racquets even be recycled?

If you read the City of Calgary’s website regarding advice for recycling used sporting goods, you will note that they advise putting these things in your black bin.

In other words, they tell you put them in the garbage. This is because, Calgary’s recycling system cannot recycle things like tennis, squash or badminton racquets.

The only way to recycle them is to sell them or give them away so that they can be used again. In doing so, at least you might prevent somebody down the road from buying something new which will also end up in the garbage.

If you are faced with this problem, Racquet Network can help you. We recycle some old tennis, squash, badminton and or racquetball racquets by refurbishing them and selling them to families and recreational players who prefer not to buy something new.

We don’t pay for the old racquets people bring in to be recycled, but neither do we charge people for them. All we do is recover the cost of refurbishment. So if we take an old racquet and refurbish the grips and strings, we sell it for the cost of the grips and the strings. We don’t charge for the racquet itself because we didn’t pay for it.

Now … there are some limits to this program.

First, we don’t refurbish old wooden racquets unless they are in pristine condition and could be used for decorations or props. But if you bring them in, we will look at them and determine what if anything might be done with them.

Second, we don’t repair broken racquets. If the frame is broken, the racquet cannot be recycled. So please put it in your black bin.

Finally, we will not offer you so much as a penny for your old frame. So please do not imagine you are going to come in and haggle with us, because that’s not going to happen.

If, however, you have an old racquet and you want us to help you get it into the hands of somebody who will use it, bring it into the store and leave it with us. If it can be salvaged, we will salvage it. If not, we will dispose of it for you. Either way, your conscience is clear.

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What are Yonex Pre-strung Badminton Racquets Pre-Strung with?

Product Knock Out

Contrary to popular belief, Yonex pre-strung badminton racquets are NOT pre-strung with Yonex BG65.

Virtually all of Yonex’ pre-strung badminton racquets are pre-strung with something called Yonex Demo Gut — a low-cost, extruded nylon monofilament that is nothing at all like Yonex BG65 multifilament.

Yonex Demo Gut is not intended for long-term adult use. It is a temporary string put in racquets to help them keep their shape and to help large sporting good stores sell racquets.

Yonex Demo Gut is not intended to function as badminton string in any serious way.

You will not find serious players at the professional or recreational level stringing their racquets with Yonex Demo Gut.

In fact, Yonex does not even sell Yonex Demo Gut.

The name tells you all you need to know. Demo Gut was created as a demo string. Essentially, it is a prop. It is a substitute for the real thing.

So when you buy a pre-strung Yonex racquet, you should plan to replace the strings in very short order.

What you replace it with is up to you. It will depend on the racquet you are stringing, the shuttles you are using, and what you need the string to do.

Yonex has an large selection of excellent badminton strings to choose from. Regardless of who you are or how you play, we will be able to help you choose a suitable replacement when you are ready.